Fuel feeding apparatus for liquid fuel burners



Aug. 18, 1931-.

G. E. GooDRlDGE FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS FOR LIQUID FUEL BURNERS f Filed Aug. 16, 1927 Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE E. GOODRIDGE, OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR H.

BALLARD, INCORPORATED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A-CORPORATION '0F MAS- SACHUSETTS FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS FOR kLIQUID FUEL BURNERS Application filed August 16, 1927. Serial No. 213,281.

This invention relates to fuel feeding devices for liquid fuel burners, being intended to provide a simple but effective arrangement for supplying such a burner with liquid fuel from a main fuel reservoir through the medium of a pump.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustration of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The drawing indicates, more or less diagrammatically, a fuel feeding system for an oil burner and the relation between the parts thereof to the main fuel reservoir and the burner.

Referring to the drawing and to the illustrative embodiment of the invention therein shown, the liquid fuel burner comprises a burner nozzle 1 operatively related to the combustion chamber 3 of any suitable or usual form of heating device 5 and connected to the burner supply pipe 7 arranged to discharge through the nozzle into the combustion chamber an atomized mixture of oil or other liquid fuel with air, the fuel being herein assumed for the purpose of illustration to be oil. To supply the burner a main reservoir or supply tank 9 of relatively large capacity is provided, ordinarily located at a point away from the burner, and, in the case of tanks of large capacity, submerged in the ground.

l The devices for delivering the air and oil to the burner may be ofany approved type, their specific construction not being particularly concerned with the present invention.

Herein for illustrative purposes I have shown fuel and air feeding devices of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,631,859, dated J une 7, 1927, the same comprising an auxiliary chamber or reservoir 11 of relatively small capacity located in proximity to the burner nozzle, there being contained within the chamber a rotary atomizing pump (not shown) for delivering commingled air and oil from the chamber to the burner nozzle, and a second rotary suction pump indicated at 13 `for delivering oil to the chamber from the main tank or reservoir through a system of conduits hereinafter described, together with regulating devices for maintaining a substantially constant level in the chamber.

The suction pump 13 is ordinarily located at a level below the highest level of the oil in the main reservoir 9, and it becomes desirable to provid-e such a system of connections between the pump and the reservoir as to prevent the creation of a siphoning action or the persistence of such a siphoning action at such times as the pump is out of action so as to avoid the danger of flooding.

Herein the main reservoir 9, which is shown as provided with an air vent 15, has a reservoir suction pipe 17 entering through the top of the tank and having its open, lower end adjacent the bottom of the tank. The pipe 17, which has an intermediate portion 19 located above the highest level of the oil in the tank 9,

is connected at its opposite end to a substantially air-tight receiving chamber 21 in the form of a standpipe, providing an air chamber of substantial capacity and of a cross sectional area greater than the effective cross sectional area of the reservoir suction pipe 17-19. The pipe 19 is herein connected to the standpipe 21 at the point above the level of the oil in the tank 9 through a connection 23 which provides an entrance 25 with flared walls, so that theoil leaving the pipe 19 flows into the enlarged dome-like space and tends to flow down the sides thereof and down the sides of the pipe 21.

The pipe 21 is arranged in a generally vertical position and has its open end entering within the 'settling chamber 27 of a greater diameter than that of the pipe, the side of the settling chamber being provided with an i chamber 11 and the suction pump 13, passing i first through the separator 35 and the-nce through the pipe 37 to the pump intake 39. The latter is preferably at a point above the level of the point of connection 31 of the pump suction to the settling chamber so as to prevent any siphoning action, and the effective cross sectional area of the pump suction pipe 33 is no greater than that of the suction conduit l7 19, so that the capacity of the pump suction pipeto withdraw oi l from the settling chamber 4andthe enlarged standpipe,

2l cannetie'n'ceed'the capacity of'the reservoir" suction pipe to replenish the same.

YVith the parts constructed as described, the operation i s a s follows: `When the suction pump starts into operation in the first instance, the settling space and the receiving'chambrlaifilled withv air and devoid of oil. The iirst action of the l pump is to exhaust the air'the n' fr.; i .t i.. U A .;l," `l 1t flows downithejiared sides ot the connection .v

23 andthe sides oit the `s tan'c lp 1` pe til reaches` lthe mouth of t h e: `i'g uinp`l suction, #pipe 33, whereupon the 'suction pump begins? to withdraw "oil from the separatorI 'slpacefandll delivet if; wiheyaeilmy. sstsemiritgi as 3o the"p"ui n'pv cntinuesfits operation, the oilwilll t continue to flow from the tank to the stand-f,"

Y pipe untilthe'mouth 3 1'ofthe'puinpfsuctionl pipe 'is covered and the pump begins to"puinp oil exclusively. Since the capacities of tlie. pump suction pipe'and reservoujsuction pipe'.

are'sub's'taiitial'ly the same, -the anjoiilntfof'oil cflowilngl into' the receiving chamber willrequal 'andj thisjbalanced condition will "be maintained 'solpngias ,thef

the Iamount withdrawn,

@pipe until -it rise-s tofs'ome level, such as that represented at" 4l, where it`causes sufchfaifi'fE increase inthe'pressure 1of the residual -air contained within thefstandpipe fasto sto the'n further flowof oil from the tank through fthe''tank suction p ipe l7-`l9 to Athe standpipe; The point to which 'alega levlmusf;

rise after the pump stops operation to bring A abou'tthis balancedcondition will depend on thedieight to whichthe oilm'ustbe liftedv 21,'butthe 'dimensions and yrelatiIiSfhips of.'

the various elements may be selected soJthatl made ,therefrom and, .51:01h .tbesrelativ millet Y main ijeservoinits opposite end connected tol er and. antlntelmediat@ said receiviiigv Chamb yportion. located aboveathe fuel levelinthe-v- Athe chamber beingarranged to terminante; its bottom, an .enlarge d settling space belowqthef .leveL ,ot the pump -intakeand pro- P interlgiedit,Chamber, at, @peint above the no unduly high oil level in the standpipe need be reached.

When such balanced condition is reached, however, the pressure difference becomes insuHcient to draw oil from the tank, all further flow of oilceases and conditions in the separatorand standpiperemain the same until thepump is again started into operation. This again lowers the oil level until the pressure ofthe. air within the standpipeagain reaches the point where theroilwillflow Afrom the tank to the separating chamber Y- Accordingly, be vseen that any siplioiiiiigaction of theoill is prevented the mpment the pump stops operation and at no time is there maintained in the separating Chamber ,and :the ,Steedpipe an .amount-,of oill sufficient to cause vany siphoning between;

chamber ,"prpvides an A leiective trap through which all the foil, must pass and thesludge, dirt `andlothern impurities may be rapidly. removed -fromgtime to= time, Iand atthleysame*timeprovides a ,small reserve boi dy..,of foil ,below thedeyel ot which themouthwotthe pump suctionpipeis norv mallyfsubinerged so 'that the pump is adapted to 'deliverpil 'ehamben llas soon as V1t is .start ed' into operation..

.While I have herein shoV n and described derstod that extensive deviations may. be

rangement of parts, falliV .without departing 1. a ,.li qu i d fuel ,feeding system, the comof V a@pump[positionedat a levelbelow Ithe` levfel the fuelinsaid reservoir, an inte1:. mediate', substantially airftight, receiving ,chnibenprovided with a. re s el7v o ir suction having one end. extending into sa id` main reservoirtandhaving an eii'ectivecrossf 1vided threitwth a Cleaning @Benina-andi., a pump suction couduitconnected with said,

bottmn,fof gsaidY settling space but below thef i.

piling intake .a-ndfhaving. an .1 effectivefcross- ,formation `oifagslphon rthrough said 1 interme- 'diatetchamben from' 'the tank through the vtank suction pipe, as well as lon` the air capacityof the chamber j of a,pii1np'.positioned atalevel helowth'e v from i which foi* thegripes 10,17; .illustration 20,11@ specific. .f

ese

t of the chamber sectional areaino greater than that ofE the res. i. ervQlr sumen ,cppduit thereby@ prevent the, 125

level .0f the amlie Said reservoir, an interf v130 mediate, substantially airtight, receiving chamber comprising a standpipe having its upper end above the level of the fuel in the reservoir and its lower end connected to an enlarged separating chamber extending below the level of the pump intake, a reservoir suction pipe of lesser feed capacity than the standpipe having an end connected to thel upper end of the standpipe and its opposite end extending into the main reservoir, and a pump suction pipe connected to the receiving chamber at a point above the bottom of the separating chamber and below the pump suction and having a feed capacity no greater than that of the reservoir suction pipe.

3. In a liquid fuel feeding system, the combination with a main vented fuel reservoir, of a pump positioned at a level below the level of the fuel in said reservoir, a suction conduit between the pump and the main reservoir including an intermediate air chamber provided at its bottom with an enlarged settling space having a cleaning opening, a

, pump suction pipe connected to said chamber above the bottom of the settling space, and a reservoir suction pipe connecting the air chamber with the main reservoir and having a portion extending above the level of the fuel in the reservoir, the intermediate air chamber having a greater feed capacity than that of the reservoir suction pipe, and the feed capacity of the pump suction pipe being no greater than that of the reservoir suction pipe.

4. In a liquid fuel feeding system, the combination with a main vented fuel reservoir, of a pump positioned at a level below the level of the fuel in said reservoir, a suction conduit between the pump and the main reservoir including a Siphon breaking air chamber, a settling space connected therewith provided with means through which the same may be cleaned, and a pump suction connected with the settling space above the bottom thereof.

5. In a liquid fuel feeding system, the combination with a main vented fuel reservoir, of a pump positioned at a level below the level of the fuel in said reservoir, a suction conduit between the pump and the main reservoir comprising an air-containing, siphon-breaking standpipe having a settling space at its bottom,a reservoir suction pipe extending above the fuel level in the main reservoir and connecting with the standpipe through a connection having fiared walls, and a pump suction pipe connected to the settling space above the bottom thereof.

6. In a liquid fuel feeding system, the combination with a main vented fuel reservoir, of a pump positioned at a level below the level of the fuel in said reservoir, a suction conduit between the pump and reservoir including a siphon-breaking air chamber, a reservoir suction pipe connecting the main tom thereof and at a point below the level of the pump intake.

ln testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE E. GOODRIDGE. 

